“So Hyukkie, which story do you want Appa to read you tonight?” Siwon asks the excited kid bouncing around in bed. For obvious reason, the kid reminds him too much of the person who bore him. “The Ugly Duckling? Little Red Riding Hood?”

“Kyuppa read them all already!” The six year old pouts not unpleasantly. Again he is reminded of his significant other half who pouts, sulks, and bullies his way through his heart.

“Hmmmm...” It is almost hilarious to watch a little boy with a gummy grin looking all serious as he rakes his brains like a scientist trying to solve life’s mysteries. With a chuckle, the bemused father reached out and ruffle his son’s little spiked-do and pinch his chubby check for good measure.

“Appa, will you tell Hyukkie about when Appa and Kyuppa met and become good friends?”

Siwon is slightly taken aback of the seemingly innocent request. How did his son know to ask something like that? But he is a very giving father, and he rather like to reminisce as often as he could about when he first met his love for life.

“Ok then, Appa will tell Hyukkie about how two little boys met.” Siwon decides with his dimpled smile.

“Like Hyukkie and Fishy?” Little Hyukjae asks with childish expectation.
“Yes, like Hyukkie and Fishy.”
‘Yaaay!” Hyukkie cheers as he allows himself to be tucked in, almost unable to contain his excitement as his father starts telling the story.

@@@

Little Siwon was looking out of the window excitedly at all the buildings and people and trees and animals whizzing by. His little legs swinging casually over the carseat as he exclaims now and then when something caught his attention.

“Umma! Umma! Look at that strange little dog!” Little Siwon cried out excitedly.
“Now, Wonnie, what did Umma tell you about not shouting when Umma is driving?” The barely 30 year old elegant lady behind the steering wheel replied sternly.
‘Yes Umma…..” Her boisterous son mutters softly, appropriately chastened but the next minute his attention is lured away by something else on the road and he forgotten his mother’s words.
“Umma! Umma ~”

The last bit of his sentence was ruthlessly interrupted by a loud crash, his little body flew forward with such force that he ended up hitting the windscreen despite the seatbelt he was wearing. The knock rendered him mercifully unconscious as his body was flung back again from the impact, his neck snapped back with a sickening “crack”.

@@@

“My umma pulled you out of the car which was on fire.” The little boy standing next to his hospital bed said matter of factly.

Despite feeling very sleepy, much more sleepy than when he missed his afternoon nap, Siwon couldn’t help staring at the little boy before him. He had to squint to see his face clearly, although the large raisin colored eyes and really, really, really chubby cheeks are really too cute to miss. He also has a lot of hair! Curls are falling into his eyes which he brushed aside with a sullen pout.

“You have more curls than a girl.” Siwon heard himself saying outloud. The glare the other gave him made him flinched with embarrassment.

The doctor came with his Appa and a strange lady. When the little boy saw her, he ran to her and put his little hand into hers.

“Wonnie? Son?” His Appa seems to have difficulty breathing. “The doctor would like to tell you something.”

Siwon wasn’t aware that he has stopped his narrating and his son is staring at him curiously. Lost in his own memories, he could still hear the doctor’s voice as he explains to the badly injured boy just how bad his injuries were, with his Appa throwing in a few words here and there to keep the conversation easy for him to follow.

@

“Appa? Appa!” Hyukjae’s high pitched voice broke through his reverie and Siwon looked down apologetically when he saw how worried his little son is.

“Appa’s fine. Sorry for daydreaming.” He smiled and his son smiled back with relief.

“Where was I?”
“The doctor is about to tell Appa something.”
“Oh yes.” Siwon clears his throat lightly. “The doctor told Appa that he cannot walk forever ~”
“Forever ever ever?” Hyukkie’s face paled visibly.
“Forever ever ever.” Siwon echoes with a nod, seeing that his son is about to cry he pulled him into his arms and gave him a crushing embrace.
“Appa must be very sad.” The little boy’s voice is very soft now as he buried his face in his father’s warm chest for comfort.
“Yes, Appa was very sad……but not for very long.” Siwon said as his son pull apart slightly and stare up at him.
“Why?”
“Because of your Kyuppa.”
“Kyuppa!” Hyukjae cheers so happily as if his “mommy” is the savior of the world.

‘Your Kyuppa came to visit me everyday. His umma will bring him and leave him to sit with me for an hour every day. Then it will become two hours, and then three hours…”

@

The little curly haired boy is only 3 but he must be the rudest person little Siwon ever seen. He has an angry frown and visible pout permanently etched on his small chubby face. On his first visit after little Siwon learn that he will never be able to stand or walk or run or play ball, he stood by his bedside much like when he was when Siwon first regained consciousness.

“Stop crying.”He said with an impatient roll of his large eyes.
“ Shut up!” Siwon yelled back tearfully.
“My appa said little boys don’t cry.”
“Your appa is wrong!”

An exasperated sigh escaped the 3 year old’s lips. He place each hand on each side of his hips and look at the crying boy on the bed with a frown.
‘If I come and play with you everyday, will you stop crying?”

That stopped the crying all right. The astonished Siwon blinked furiously without saying anything.

“That’s better.”
“I can’t play!!! I can’t walk forever ever ever…..I have to sit on this bed forever ever ever…” Siwon is about to burst into tears again.
“Tsk!” Another impatient cluck of the tongue. “I have many games we can play without leaving this bed.”

Again his tears stopped and he stared curiously at the unpleasant looking boy.

“That’s much better.” The younger boy said rather business-like. “Since we are going to play forever ever ever, I guess we better tell each other our names.”

Siwon is flabbergasted when the little thing stood up and bow formally, clasping his little hands at his tummy. “Hello, my name is Cho Kyuhyun. Nice to meet you.”

“And now it’s your turn.” Little Kyuhyun prompts.

“Siwon……oh…Choi Siwon….” The injured boy mutters still feeling surprised at the other’s manners.

@@@

Siwon stopped telling his story when he realized that his son is fast asleep in his arms. The lateness of the hour and the grief he was feeling for his father must have tire him out. Lying the little body down gently and tucking him in, he left the room quietly after dimming the lights and leaving the door ajar behind him.

Padding soundlessly through the darkened house, he heads for the only room with lights blazing. The sight of the lone figure standing by the kitchen sink washing the dinner dishes made him smile.

“Hey baby.” He mutters softly burying his face into the back of the neck of the man he loves, back hugging him.
“Hey yourself.” The humming man replied with a smile, his hands still submerged in dirty washing water busy with a dinner plate. “Little monkey’s asleep?”
“Umhmm…” Siwon hums into the soft sleek neck, tightening his arms to press the smaller man into his chest.
“Which story did you read him?”
“None.”
“None?”
“He wants to hear about how we met.” Siwon took a languid breath and took in the intoxicating scent of his lover.
“Now where did he get that idea from?”
“No idea, but I do know something.”
“What’s that?”
“I am a very blessed man.” Siwon breathes out in a soft sigh. “I have the best lover and the best son in the whole wide world.”

Kyuhyun giggled softly. “You are getting cheesy, hyung.”
“That’s because I can, and I will and well, it’s the truth.”

Kyuhyun wipes his hands on a dishcloth before putting them over the hands interweaved protectively over his tummy. Leaning back against the man holding him, they stood for a while in comfortable silence, their thoughts travelling back to when they were both 6 and 3.

@@@

Little Kyuhyun is true to his words. His umma will drop him off in Siwon’s room and for the next hour they will play board games, or building blocks, or make believe with his large collection of toy cars and action figures. Sometimes he will just come armed with large picture books and he will spend the hour reading to his new friend. On days when he had coloring lessons in his nursery class, Kyuhyun will visit with his coloring book and crayons.

Six months passed rather quickly. Siwon would have suffered infantile autism if he did not have his faithful friend and his faithful visits to dispel a bit of his gloom. When the day came for Kyuhyun to announce to him that he will be starting kindergarten the following month and their daily visits will have to be reduced to once a week, Siwon’s heart broke and he could not stop crying despite his little friend clucking his tongue and rolling his eyes sullenly. In the end, Kyuhyun had to promise to continue his daily visits.

“Doctor Lee said he will arrange for me to play with the jungle gym every day. Will you come with me?” Siwon asks expectantly.

“Jungle gym?” Kyuhyun glares with the kind of suspicion for adults only little kids are capable of.

“Doctor Lee said it will be fun and it will help to make me strong and maybe I will be able to walk again when I am big!”

Kyuhyun stares at his excited friend. Thanks to his abnormal sense of maturity, he knew to avoid bursting Siwon’s bubble with insensitive remarks. But he also felt he shouldn’t lie to his friend by telling him lies so he kept quiet and only hummed his agreement to keep him company in the ‘jungle gym’.

Playing in the hospital jungle gym turned out totally different from what both children were expecting. Sure, it was fun, if you are healthy with perfectly mobile limbs. For little Siwon who had lost all control of his legs and have to rely on his arms and upper body to move around, it was sheer torture. For the first few weeks he would be screeching in pure pain when his weak muscles are strained.

While his friend is laboring through, Kyuhyun will sit in a corner looking, cheering him on in his heart. His little face all pale and strained when Siwon broke down and cry, yet appearing all elated when Siwon picked himself up and continued his efforts. At the end of the session, he will approach his friend with a tiny towel and wipe the sweat off him with a faint smile.

‘You were always there with your little towel.” Siwon murmurs dreamily.
“That’s because you never once said you wanted to give up.” Kyuhyun whispers in return.
“You had the most beautiful smile when you were wiping sweat off my face.” Siwon replies watching that same bashful smile, which had captured his heart and soul so many years back albeit unknowingly, appear again before his eyes.

@@@

“Your Kyuppa came to see me everyday.” Siwon continues his storytelling the next night when Hyukjae again waited patiently to listen to his parents’ childhood story. “Then I got to go home, and your Kyuppa still did not miss a day of visiting.”

“Wow!!!” Hyukjae was all in awe for his usually very strict and no-nonsense ‘umma’. “Even Fishy did not come to visit me everyday when I was sick and he did promise to come.” The little boy pouts disapprovingly and Siwon chuckled fondling his chubby cheeks.

“And then Kyuppa was ready to attend grade school and he chose to attend the same one I was in.”

“Just like Hyukkie and Fishy!” The little boy cheered again. Siwon smiled with pride at how his son and his friend are getting along so well despite such a young age.

“Just like Hyukkie and Fishy, Appa and Kyuppa did everything together in school.” Siwon smiled recalling all the lunches they shared, the schoolyard strolls they took because Siwon in a wheelchair couldn’t do much anything else. And after school, Kyuhyun will be driven home with Siwon and spent his time in the Choi’s residence till dinner time when his mother came to fetch him.

“It was like being placed in daycare.” Kyuhyun had said laughingly once when they are old enough to understand such things.
“You did not like it?’ Siwon had asks with a cautious twang in his voice.
“Umhmm…..I haven’t really gave it much thought…..I have been visiting you since forever, it just felt the right thing to do.”

That’s when Siwon pulled him into a crushing bear hug. “You saved my life, you know that? You saved my life.” he said in a raspy voice that indicated that he is near tears. Feeling the man he adore hug him back equally tightly and rubbing circles on his back to comfort him encouraged the tears to fall and he cried silently.

@@@

Siwon tucked the edges of the blanket tight around his sleeping son. All this reminiscing is making him feel a bit melancholic. He left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen where he knows his love will be cleaning up after dinner as usual.

To his surprise the lights are all off. Popping his head through the doorway he saw two lighted candles standing on the breakfast counter, their flames flickering merrily distorting shadows in within their radiance.

“Hey.” Kyuhyun greeted with a smile when he caught sight of his husband peeking in.

“What’s all this?” Siwon asks feeling pleasantly surprised as he approached the counter and sat down just as Kyuhyun stood up and walked to the fridge shrugging without saying a word.

He returned with two bowls of ice cream. “Rum and raisins.” He stated simply, sitting down again, enjoying the sight of the other man’s brows raised high.

“I just thought with all that storytelling, Appa will need something to wet his lips.” Kyuhyun teases. “Since we can’t drink, I figured rum and raisin flavoured ice cream comes close.”

“Thank you, baby.” Siwon chuckles as they dig into their ice cream.

“So where did you managed to narrate to before Little monkey fell asleep?” Kyuhyun asks his spoon. To his surprise the older man did not answer him, head lowered staring at his ice cream bowl. His heart did a jump as he realized the answer to his own question.

@

It was the most terrifying moment in Kyuhyun’s young life.

When the opportunity to walk again was presented to the then 14 year old Siwon, he was elated! He was too young to grasp the possibility that he may lose his life on the operating theater table, that was the price of being able to walk again.

However, the lanky boy standing beside him seems to know all too well. Stealing a worried glance at his friend, he did not say a word. In fact as time goes by, his face got paler and his frown deeper.

“Aren’t you feeling excited for me, Kyu?” Siwon asks at last when his excitement died down.
“….”
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking like you lost your best friend?”
“I-I…..” Kyuhyun stammers unsure how to continue the conversation. It’s like he’s back to when he was 4 and Siwon was all excited about the jungle gym helping him to walk again.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy for me?” Siwon begins to panic.
“N-no……of c-course I am happy for you.” Kyuhyun managed to say weakly but his friend’s suspicion is aroused.
“But~?”
“But?”
“There is a ‘but’ to whatever you wanna say.” Siwon points out.
“I ~” Kyuhyun bit down on his tongue.
“If you are really my friend you will tell me.”Siwon reminds him but Kyuhyun just keep fidgeting without saying another word. The older boy frowned and out of nowhere he started feeling angry. He needed his best friend in the whole world to be happy for him, even if no one else does.

“C-can….you….not have the operation?” Kyuhyun finally spoke up timidly.
“W-what!?”
“I mean….mean…..isn’t things just alright now…..” Kyuhyun’s voice trailed off as he realized how lame he sounds.
“ARE YOU EVEN MY FRIEND!?” Siwon bellowed making his young friend flinched visibly. “WHAT KIND OF FRIEND WILL TALK LIKE THAT!?”

Kyuhyun lowered his head as tears spill out of his eyes. Without waiting for further berating he chose to flee, wiping his tears as they fell.

@

Feeling a warm hand over his, Kyuhyun snaps awake to see Siwon staring at him, his large orbs reflecting the dancing flames of the candles. On his face is a smile b with love and gratitude for the man sitting opposite him.

“I was a monster, wasn’t I?” he asks softly to which his lover broke into a smile of his own filled with overwhelming love and apology. The younger man shook his head lightly.

“No you’re not. It was only natural.” Kyuhyun replies. “I am just really thankful that it did not affect our friendship.”

Siwon squeeze the hand he is holding lightly. “If I stayed angry with the person whose blood is now flowing within me then I am really a monster…” He said the back of Kyuhyun’s thumb with his own gently. “Thank you baby…for everything.”

With perfect harmony they pull towards each other till their faces are mere inches from each other, rubbing noses playfully before going in for a long breathtaking kiss to assure each other how much they love the other.

“And I am even more thankful that the operation is a success…” Kyuhyun said in a soft whisper after they came up for air. “I can’t imagine a life without you…”

@@@

“Kyuppa! Kyuppa!” Hyukjae shouted and waved the moment he appears on the steps of the school bus. Kyuhyun’s pale face lit up with a smile and returned the wave as he watches his son run towards him with his best friend in tow.

“Kyuppa!”
“Kyuhyun-ahjussi.”

“Hello boys. How was your day?” He asks as they each put a hand into his and the trio start towards home with one boy flanking him. Hyukjae started telling about the ball game he was in while Little Donghae started singing the song he just learnt in school for his second favourite adult, Hyukkie’s appa being the first favourite adult on Donghae’s list.

Amidst the mini ruckus Hyukjae stops walking abruptly, forcing the other two to stop in their tracks too.

“What’s wrong, Hyukkie?” Kyuhyun frowns. His eyes widen slightly when his son opened his arms and wrap them around his legs. The blatant show of love made him smile, out of relief and parental love.

“You are the best Kyuppa in the world!” Hyukjae announces with a gummy grin while Donghae stared with bulging eyes. Kyuhyun burst out laughing as he ruffles his son’s hair.

“Thank you, Hyukkie. But how would you know? Have you met all the Kyuppa in the world?”

“Because you are my world!” Hyukjae replied with a giggle.

Donghae alternates his stare at his friend and his Appa who are wearing the same grin. A lightbulb went off inside his little head. Pulling at Kyuhyun’s hand to get his attention, he wailed loudly he wants to go home now!

"I wanna tell my umma that too before I forget!” Little Donghae could no longer keep still as he fidgets agitatedly knowing just too well how good his memory is.